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Home , 2nd Division (Australia), 4th Division (Australia), April 1917, Buissy, Bullecourt, May 1917

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FIRST WORLD WAR 1914–1918

THE BATTLES FOR

Eighty-five years ago, Australian began a terrible struggle in . By Peter Burness

AUTHOR Peter Burness is Senior Curator of Military Heraldry and Technology at the Australian War Memorial.

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Left: A revealing study of the squalid condition of First World War trenches. An Australian sleeps in a trench shelter in the second line of trenches before Riencourt. AWM E00455

Facing page: An Australian 18- pounder in action during the fight for Bullecourt. AWM E00600

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first WORLD war 1914–1918

Above: War- t is possible that no Australian ever Hendecourt, and Quéant. War memorials damaged Quéant, visited the small village of Bullecourt in recalling the Australian presence are now to France, in 1918. northern France before the First World be seen in Bullecourt village and in the AWM H09434 War. Today it is a site of Australian war adjoining fields. The most prominent is the pilgrimage and a focal point for bronze sculpture, The digger, by Facing page: A Icommemorative ceremonies on ANZAC artist Peter Corlett, unveiled in 1993. small section of Day. Each year hundreds of Australians There are no large war cemeteries in the barbed wire in converge on the village to join locals in immediate vicinity, such as there are at the front of the wreath-layings, speeches and toasts that centre of most battle sites. This is a recall a long association. Bullecourt entered reflection of the fighting in the area: There at Quéant. Australian history because of battles fought are cemeteries, but they stand a few AWM H09435 there by the Australian Imperial Force kilometres from the killing fields, which had (AIF) in and 1917. remained a no-man’s-land throughout the Bullecourt is less than 10 kilometres from war. Perhaps the most poignant is Quéant the city of . It is prime agricultural Road Cemetery near . Almost 1,000 country in an ancient region where long graves are known to contain Australians, established small farming villages sit close but for 700 the identity of the actual together. Few of these villages have grown is unknown. much in the past century and some had to Quéant Road also contains the grave of be totally rebuilt after the destruction of the Sergeant Jack White. The long-delayed war. Between the villages lie unfenced rich burial of this soldier briefly held the media’s fields of crops that have sustained the locals, interest in late 1995. White had been killed and a wider community, for generations. in the fighting at Bullecourt on 3 When the Australians were there in 1917 and his body was not recovered, at least not they fought in the fields between the until a local uncovered the remains 77 years villages of Bullecourt, Riencourt, later. He was finally laid to rest with a large

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military funeral attended by various morning of 11 . The enemy dignitaries, an honour guard, local residents, defences consisted of deep trenches, dugouts and his daughter, whom he had seen only as and pillboxes, protected by wide belts of a baby. barbed-wire and cleverly sited machine-guns. For those who survived the fighting at A feature of the attack was the provision of a Bullecourt, it was an experience of horror dozen tanks to support the leading and devastation they could never forget. from the 4th and 12th . Their had already endured the terrible 1916–17 winter, with the opposing Bullecourt had again shown the bravery facing each other across desolate fields of frozen mud. The had used of Australian troops in attack, and added the time to build a great defensive line a few another hard-earned battle honour to the kilometres behind their front, which the allies called the Hindenburg Line. AIF’s list. Early in 1917, once the weather had improved, the Germans staged a fighting The attack was a disaster. Despite their withdrawal to their new line. For the allied crews’ bravery, the tanks performed poorly troops the sudden advance across open fields and were soon burning wrecks. Fighting gave them a false hope that victory could desperately, the Australian infantry soon be at hand. Their advance continued managed to gain a brief hold on the up to the Hindenburg Line. German line but were driven out by fierce Belief in an early victory was soon cast counter-attacks. aside. As a part of a fresh British-French Under heavy artillery shelling, machine- Arras Offensive, the Australian 4th gun fire, mortar and grenade exchanges, and was ordered to assault the Hindenburg Line even hand-to-hand fighting, the Australians to the right of Bullecourt village in the early suffered terrible casualties. They were finally

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FIRST world war 1914–1918

Under heavy artillery shelling, machine-gun he spoke of our losses. Officers – hard-faced, fire, mortar and grenades exchanges, and hard-swearing men broke down. From the silent other ranks came a deep feeling of warmth and even hand-to-hand fighting, the Australians sympathy, a feeling that endured as long as the suffered terrible casualties. flame-racked years, and beyond. Despite this local repulse, the offensive forced to withdraw, while the British 62nd continued and again, on 3 May, the Division fighting alongside was also exposed Australians were made to attack over the and suffered losses. The Australian division same ground. Now the task was given to the lost 3,000 officers and men, killed and . This time the planning was wounded, and 1,170 who became prisoners better. Proper artillery support was to be of war. The 4th suffered most, losing available and there would be no tanks 2,339 men from a strength of 3,000! operating with the diggers. The Australians A survivor from one of the no longer trusted tanks. (Their faith in FURTHER READING battalions later wrote: them would not be restored until the C. E. W. Bean, Official history A pitifully weak company was all that successful in the of the war of 1914–18, vol. IV: remained of the proud, strong unit that had following year. By that time, a much The AIF in France 1917, (St marched that way a few days ago. The other improved version of the tank was available Lucia, Qld, 1982) battalions of the brigade cheered us as we and employed in large numbers.) marched. That night in we sat The fighting over the next days was Chris Coulthard-Clark, The encyclopaedia of ’s through a picture-show. It was strange and furious, with the Australians getting a grip battles, (, 2001) unreal to watch slapstick with minds on the Hindenburg Line and repelling wild not yet detuned from battle. A few days later counter-attacks that sometimes included Jonathan Walker, The blood we stood on while “Birdy” (General flame-throwers. The 1st Australian tub, (Staplehurst, Kent, 2000) Birdwood) delivered some of his “usual”. Then Division then took over and went into the

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fight. On 7 May British troops captured command, from the senior British level to Australian visitors part of the ruins of Bullecourt village; on the Australian staff officers and operational and French locals the same day the Australian commanders, and even the location of the walk from the resting near Albert was told to prepare for attack, have been examined. In particular, village to the action. The second battle, which was some believe failure to cover the right flank memorial park at intended to engage one Australian left troops dangerously exposed to heavy Bullecourt during division, had now drawn in three. The enfilading fire. Under this fire, the 5th the annual British 62nd Division was similarly Brigade faltered on the first day of the replaced. Finally, the Germans gave second battle, leaving many of its dead ceremony. Bullecourt away and on 20 May the hanging on the wire. Corlett’s sculpture fighting closed. Bullecourt had again shown the bravery can be seen to the The Australian and British troops, of Australian troops in attack, and added right of the fighting under frightful conditions, had another hard-earned battle honour to the flagpoles. (Photo captured a small part of the Hindenburg AIF’s list. The opposing soldiers, men of the courtesy of the Line and held it, but this could not be 27th Württemberg Division, may well have author) exploited; there was to be no breakthrough. been the toughest fighters the Australians The offensive closed and the British turned encountered during the war. Still, the heavy their attention to the fighting in Flanders. losses, for so little gain, was part of the The second battle of Bullecourt caused a reason that 1917 was to be remembered as a further 7,000 Australian casualties, from year of disasters. which the AIF never fully recovered. There would be further fighting by The losses meant that plans for a sixth British divisions around Bullecourt, but division were dropped and they contributed the Australian troops did not come back. to another unsuccessful attempt at home to Their main areas of future operations were introduce . The tired and to be Flanders and the . It is depleted troops moved into rest areas for the Australians of later generations who come longest break from fighting they had seen to the place today to remember the since arriving in France. sacrifice that took place during the terrible The battles of Bullecourt continue to struggle of those fatal weeks of April and interest . Deficiencies in May 1917.

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